Support for Defence Families
Our school has the largest population of Defence families in New School Wales. Situated in Medowie, 7 kilometres from the WIlliamtown Airforce Base, our school supports a number of families whose parents are employed in the Australian Defence Force.
Defence School Mentor
Our Defence School Mentor is Mrs Karen Schieb who supports our Defence students and wider school community. Mrs Schieb can be contacted via the school office on (02) 4982 8893 with any enquiries.
Mrs Schieb's role as a Defence School Mentor (DSM) includes the following:
- Welcome new families to Wirreanda.
- Acts as point of contact for ADF parents and children new to the school and community.
- Assists new families with enrolment, even prior to arriving in the area.
- Provides a link between the families, school and the Defence services.
- Assists where possible with families posted away from our school.
- Supports students through wellbeing initiatives and check-ins.
- Provide support for children whose parent is deployed.
- Host social gatherings to connect Defence families and encourage connection and a sense of belonging.
- Inform families of the Education Assistance Scheme.
- Assist with Kindergarten enrolment and transition.
- Each year Mrs Schieb works on a major project with the Defence School Ambassadors. For 2025 the project is the ANZAC Mural and garden.
Defence School Ambassadors
In 2025 we introduced a new leadership role to support our Defence families. Our Defence School Ambassadors are Stage 3 students who reflect our school values of respect, responsible learners and excellence. Within this leadership role they support Defence families, activities and initiatives within the school under the guidance of our Defence School Mentor Mrs Schieb. There is a rigorous selection process which includes an application and interview with the support of RAAF Base Williamtown representatives.
